Weekly Columns

Jun192012

There is no doubt that Pakistani-U.S. relations are at an all-time low. While there are many reasons for the increased division between our two nations, much of it can be traced to very real concerns that the Pakistani intelligence service and officials within its government have been actively working to subvert U.S. efforts to capture or kill al-Qaida and Taliban operatives. However, one troubling reason may be directly tied to the actions of officials in the Obama White House.

The Pakistani doctor who risked his life and to help us in the Osama Bin Laden operation should be treated as a hero. Yet enough information to lead the Pakistani’s to identify and target Dr. Shafiq Alfridi for political retribution was made public by someone with firsthand knowledge of his efforts. Dr. Alfridi is now serving 33 years in a Pakistani prison for treason. From here on out, anyone who could provide vital information that may help us against our enemies will think twice before cooperating with the U.S.

This is just one in a series of recent leaks of classified material that has compromised our national security. There is reason to believe that information has been made public in an attempt to strengthen the President’s image in the War on Terror. In some instances, unnamed White House officials are cited as sources.

Breaches of security of this magnitude should rise to the level of a serious investigation. For some reason, Attorney General Eric Holder doesn’t believe that needs to be the case.

Rather than naming an outside special counsel to investigate these leaks and hold whomever is responsible accountable, the Attorney General turned the investigation over to two U.S. Attorneys within the Department of Justice to conduct separate inquiries into the matter. Essentially the Attorney General delegated the important task of investigating leaks of classified and highly sensitive information on U.S. military and intelligence plans, programs, and operations to his own employees.

At the same time, the Attorney General has spent the more than a year obstructing the House Oversight Committee’s investigation of the DOJ’s Fast and Furious gunrunning operation. His lack of cooperation in that investigation has left him facing a contempt charge from the committee.

It is no wonder why we question the sincerity of his department’s “investigation” into the leaks.

In an effort to get to the bottom of this very serious breach, my colleagues and I introduced a resolution demanding the Attorney General appoint an outside special counsel run the investigation. This shouldn’t be necessary, but the reality is the DOJ under the President and the Attorney General’s leadership has been far from forthcoming on these matters.

My colleagues and I will continue to push for a vote on this resolution despite the efforts of those in Congress seeking to protect the Administration. Our national security is too important to be used as political chips to cash in whenever expedient. We need to get to the bottom of this matter to ensure that is not the case. If it does turn out that this information was made public for political reasons, those responsible for the leaks need to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.